Melvyn Hiscock wrote: [snip] if you were to take a little time and effort you could research what actually happened and not trot out more of this garbage.
The Royal Air Force Museum is a national institution responsible for protecting our aviation heritage. Back when the Beverley was scrapped plans were already being drawn up to improve the facilities at Hendon and Cosford. My understandind is that lateral thinking was not applied nor suggestions or offers of support taken onboard. The Beverley was scrapped because it was a large, ugly transport aircraft and not a sexy Spitfire or Hurricane. I take onboard suggestions that it was in poor condition, though I have yet to see the inspection report.
The RAF museum has its faults but the Beverley was not one of them. Throwing unresearched brickbats at national museums on public forums does nothing to make them listen when there are issues that need to be addressed.
If the buggers can get away with it once, they can get away with it again. Take for example Duxford’s Comet C2, Cosford’s Victor (scrapped because the nose was moved to Hendon – I would have stored the nose-less airframe at Cosford). You don’t have to display an airframe – just store it for future generations – look at the main national museums and the stuff they have in store.
Here is JDK’s comments about the Beverley from a thread just over a year ago.
The RAF (NOT the RAF Museum) owned Hendon’s Beverley, and didn’t look after it. When it was well past saving (rotten throughout) they gave it to the RAF Museum, who had no choice but to scrap it. A smooth Civiul Service style dump and run.
True, the RAF did own the Beverley but when it was scrapped it was owned by the RAF Museum. Taking it apart and storing it onsite was the most viable of options, and if they had done so, then I’m sure I wouldn’t be writing this and the HLF would have come to the rescue by now – as part of either the Hendon or Cosford upgrade.
But why did it need to be preserved–or for that matter any Beverley?
Not a very significant type historically, ugly and big.
It’s not as if there isn’t any record of the thing in service. What do you think future generations would have learned about Britain in the second half of the twentieth century had it survived?
That we were already lagging behind technologically perhaps, or a colonial power trying to punch above it’s weight in World terms?
Philip, you tell me, I’m not convinced we need to preserve every piece of junk Her Majesty’s armed forces ever operated.
Andy
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